ports EDITOR CARLISLE RICHARDS THE VOICE, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011 8 Lions want their pride in a parade Some players take issue with team’s decision to hold victory celebration in BC Place BY RUMAN KANG rust Vancouver, notoriously known as no fun city, to rain on the B.C Lions Parade. Despite having won the Grey Cup in their backyard there will be no celebration for the victorious B.C. Li- ons in the city’s streets. “Tt sucks, but it is what it is.” running back Andrew Harris said in the team dressing room Monday. “But I look for- ward to seeing the fans and signing au- tographs at the event at BC place.” The only celebration the team is holding is a free indoor party for fans at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday at B.C. place sta- dium. The original plan was to have the in- door party at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, but the schedule was changed to meet the needs of working Vancouverites. Champions having huge parades with ticker tape falling from the build- ings is long standing tradition of pro- fessional sports in many great sporting cities across North America. The Lions have decided to go a much safer route, team president Dennis Skulsky said Monday night that the team already had its Grey Cup parade over the weekend and that another was not required. “T don’t’ think it’s great but they said we might not do it because it’s sup- posed to be raining so we are going to do it at B.C. place,” linebacker Jovan Olafioye said. “It’s disappointing but I don’t think that anybody wants to be out in the rain.” However, Executive Director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Asso- ciation Charles Gauthier said it’s bene- ficial for the team and the city to hold the celebration indoors. “T think there are some advantages to doing it indoors, versus doing it on the street on such as the short time frame,” he said. “The city would have wanted to charge for that, so I’m not going to fault the Lions for doing it indoors.” The Montreal threw an impressive parade after its Alouettes won the 98% Grey Cup last year, but head coach Wally Buono believes Vancouver isn’t that “kind of city.” parades draw spectators in the hundreds of However, thousands. The last few years the Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival averaged 500,000 spectators while Vancouver's LIONS’ cup history THE B.C. LIONS are the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season 0-5 in Vancouver annual Rogers Santa Clause parade 300,000. Quarterback Travis Lulay, who play in 2011 garnered the award of CFL’s Most Outstanding Player, is indifferent to having an outdoor party. “We are having a get together at BC THE B.C. LIONS also won the Grey Cup in front of their home crowd in 1994. The same year the Canucks’ quest for the Stanley Cup caused a place, it’s pretty much the same to me riot. and I am feeling good about it.” Clockwise from top: The Langara women’s brings up the ballin their home opener against Columbia Bible College Saturday night. Coach Mike Evans rallys his troops . The men’s team use stiffling to hold Columbia to under 60 points on Satuday. JEN ST. DENIS photo Langara blows ou t Bible College Falcon men and women cruise to victory Saturday, but coaches disappointed by ‘average’ performance BY JEN ST. DENIS women’s basketball teams both kicked off their regular season with a win Saturday night. However, both coaches believe their team has a long way to go. In the Falcons home opener approxi- mately 200 raucous fans filled the stands, waiving black towels embla- zoned with the Falcons’ new orange logo. The women’s and men’s team fed off the home crowd and came away with 84-49 and 80-56 wins respectively over the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. “It was our first home game of the year after five straight on the road,” Te: Langara Falcons men’s and women’s coach Mike Evens said. “It was important for us to have a good be- ginning of the game — which I didn’t re- ally think we did.” Evans added that the team got going halfway through the first quarter, but fouls hampered momentum. “We had to sit our top scorers quite a bit because of fouls,” Evans said. “Carling [Muir] and Rhea [Silvestri] were both in foul trouble.” The team is young compared to the rest of the league Evans said, but hopes to see them build gradually through- out the year. In the men’s game, Columbia stayed within a few baskets of Langara throughout the first quarter. However, by the second the team established their dominance and cruised to victory. Still, coach Jake McCallum wasn’t satisfied. “T thought we were average at best and we need to be a lot better,” he said. “We didn’t execute what we were supposed to very well, people were in the wrong places. We weren’t making the right reads and we let them get too many offensive rebounds.” McCallum is hoping the team dis- plays better teamwork and gets better every game. Next up for the Falcons, another game on their home turf. Both squads face Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The men’s team faced Kwantlen earlier this year, beating them 111-78 in a scrimmage on Oct. 7. 66 We didn’t execute ... very well, people were in the wrong places JAKE McCALLUM Men's coach NBA is back after lockout For basketball fans that’s the best Christmas pres- ent they could get — other sports fans could care less BY SHAWN GILL an end Saturday night, with games scheduled to kick off on Dec. 25. However, the question remains if hock- ey-crazed Vancouverites will come back to the hardwood when play re- sumes. While many NBA fans have become disillusioned with the pros after its sec- ond lockout in approximately 12 years, some who are anxious to see its super- stars make a return. “Tm waking up Christmas morning to watch the games, even before I open my presents,” said Langara Falcons shooting-guard Glenn Ruby. “Tm just so happy,” added Langara criminal justice student Ivan Yaco. “I’m going to be in front of the TV all day.” Langara Falcons men’s coach Jake McCallum was indifferent about the NBA salvaging its 2011-12 season. “T haven’t missed it,” he said. The NBA reached a tentative agree- ment after being locked out for 149 days, deciding to play 66 games on the season instead of the standard 82. Players haven’t been in contact with teams or its owners unless it was at the bargaining table. Some athletes even ventured to Eu- rope in order to secure a paycheck. According to NBPA director Billy Hunter the agreement should be made official in 3-7 days, at which point there will be a flood of information about player movement and their return to practice. McCallum is skeptical that the NBA’s high-paid athletes could get into game shape in less than a month. He said fans should be prepared for some ragged play as players work their way back into game shape. The NBA’s last lockout in the 1998-99 season had a negative effect on fan in- terest in the Pacific Northwest, contrib- uting to the move of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Seattle Supersonics, who were relocated to Oklahoma in 2008. McCallum doesn’t expect most fans in Vancouver to be enthused either but believes a small community of local fans will continue to follow the league. T: NBA’s lockout finally came to